Hello, I am Marcia Kesner. I would like to welcome you to the very first podcast of Health Interventions for your practice.Today, I’d like to introduce myself and let you get to know a little me and how this came to be. I will also share my vision for this podcast and how I hope to help others in this amazing profession.

To start with I am a board certified NP, graduating from West Virginia University with over 20 years in the healthcare profession. I am born, raised, and currently the proud owner of my own private practice in my hometown in WV. Now, don’t let that fool you into thinking I have limited clinical knowledge and skills. Not only do I have a diverse clinical background, I have traveled to wherever I needed to travel in this great country to learn from experts in many fields.

As we go through this podcasting adventure, I will bring much of what I’ve learned and how it has shaped me, my career and my professional practice to you. You see, experience is this great thing that you can use to your advantage to learn and grow. Even if something seems trivial at the time it’s happening, it will inevitably help make you a better clinician, provider and person…. if used correctly. As my career has advanced from a nursing assistant to an advanced practiced nurse, I have gained invaluable knowledge and skills that I have passed along to students and colleagues with the ultimate goal of helping someone else.

My career overview:

I was always a hard worker, but never knew what I wanted to be. I decided to go to college shortly after my son was born. I was motivated by the desire to always be able to provide for him. I was so scared I would fail that I turned around 3 times on the way to register for college. But finally, I made it there!. Nursing seemed stable and I believed it would always provide me with a job.

I decided to become a nursing assistant by while completing my basic college classes to “Try it out”.  Then to a doctor’s office as an MA to “See what that was like.” I took a bridge course during my associates program so that I may  work as a LPN while finishing a degree. My first job as an RN was as an ER nurse in a rural hospital that forever changed my life.  MANY great stories to come from that!. Experiences in patient care and unbreakable bonds with my coworkers were formed there that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. I did go to a larger facility for a while to try cardiac care ‘for experience’. I always came back home to where I was needed and felt called too.

My masters journey started because I saw a need in my community. I work full-time as I finished the Masters Program. My first job as a Nurse Practitioner was with a neurology practice. I absolutely loved this! The specialty practice was intriguing and challenging..… yet, I was still being called back home to my community. The reason I started this Nurse Practitioner “adventure: As I started my very own primary care/walk in clinic in my hometown, I worked at a hospital nights and weekends on an observation unit “just in case“ my practice failed. But it didn’t. 10 years later my primary care practice continues to thrive. I have since opened a second location for weight management and wellness services in a neighboring state that utilizes a nurse practitioner-based team to implement a VERY successful weight management program that I have developed over my years of practice. And, I am currently becoming certified in functional medicine. 

I get so excited about all of the things that I have to share and teach to others! I have enjoyed helping many students and fellow Nurse Practitioners fine tune their skills to educate and treat, using a keen evaluation, assessment and a patient centered approach to treatment.   That’s where my online program for other providers started and had now led to this podcast.

So if you’re a new graduate going through your first year of practice, I hope I give you insight, confidence and encouragement with my pearls.  If you are an old pro,  I hope I give you support in whatever your role. Maybe you’ll gain a new view from a different perspective , so that you may continue to grow your own professional experiences,  helping someone else along the way. I Hope you’ll join me for more episodes of Health Interventions.

For more Health Interventions, visit nphealthinterventions.com.  you may also visit the Health Interventions Facebook page for more of me bringing  Health Interventions to the patient population. Make sure to sign up for The Health Interventions For Your Practice newsletter, so that you do not miss an episode or the information that I share exclusively to subscribers.

And if you are really ready to move it forward in your practice and an action kind of person like me…check out my online course to add weight management into your practice! You don’t have to “own” the practice to get benefit from this course. It’s all you and your desire to learn. Nothing I have ever done in my career has been a mistake. MANY times impulsive and on a “gut feeling”, but NEVER a mistake. Each step has led me to where I am. And each step has been a blessing!

Thank you so much for taking the time to listen! If you are loving this so far, please subscribe and share!